Low-cost 2 channel pre-amp & amplifier with very responsive remote control? For WiiM Pro/Plus in kitchen

[rcstevensonaz]

Looking for recommendations on a low cost 2 channel stereo amplifier with volume control and a very responsive remote control. Preferably with volume control in the analog domain.

• Location: Kitchen.
• Source: Wiim Pro or Pro Plus.
• Speakers: Boston Acoustic A60.
• Form factor: Should be on the smaller side since the kitchen is not large (e.g., 1U height and 1/2 rack width or smaller)
• Cost: Under $225 if it includes a good quality DAC, or under $150 if no DAC

The ability to quickly and responsively adjust volume from anywhere in the kitchen is critical. I do not want to rely only on digital control from the WiiM Pro/Pro Plus to avoid the risk of accidently setting output to 0 DBFS and blowing out speakers (or any delays from remote network connectivity). The speakers are very easy to drive, so power output isn't a major concern. And there is no need for it to support multiple input sources or BT or anything else since all of that is provided.

One other thought: if the remote that is shipped with the WiiM Pro Plus is a great quality and very responsive from anywhere, then the volume function on the amplifier is no longer a concern.

Recommendation of anything that is a great price on Amazon Prime today would be fantastic as well.

Please note: I have a lot of TOPPING products in my home office (D90, E30, 2x D10B, A30 Pro). But TOPPING is a NO GO for this situation due to the very poor remote controls.

 

[niblue]

Why not go with a WiiM amp instead to cover both the functions of the amp and the streamer?

I've used the WiiM remotes with the amp and with the Pro and not had any issues.

 

[mags65]

Newer Toppings with BT remotes should make this a non-issue.

 

[JeffS7444]

If they wanted to, Topping could address the issue by offering a replacement remote with brighter IR output.

Once upon a time, Steve Wozniak sold a clip-on power booster for remote controls (CL9 brand?), and it worked great. And while I'm not aware of anything quite as handy being offered today, I did find this, which might be worth a look:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB59V2MK

But this is a 2-piece solution, whereas SW's creation was simply a plastic cylinder which one attached to the front of an existing remote.

 

[CT Man]

I use a $10-ish six button learning remote with my Topping DAC. In addition to more powerful IR, with a simple remote nobody can accidentally mess up settings on the Topping (auto on/off, filter, output, etc). For ordinary daily multi-user situations power, volume, mute and possibly input up/down covers everything.

But why not use the WiiM as a preamp with its own remote? The remote is Bluetooth, so line of sight isn't an issue. Additionally it gives you play/pause and previous/next track control without opening the WiiM app. Presets are great for radio stations (yes, I'm old).

 

[niblue]

Radio stations are also what I use the WiiM presets for (I'm also old!).

As mentioned above the WiiM remote does seem pretty good. I use a WiiM Pro into a system with an amplifier (currently a Naim Nait 3) which doesn't have a remote in one of my offices and I use the WiiM remote to control the volume of the streamer (which outputs into a seperate DAC) and have had no issues with that.

 

[Miker 1102]

The Wiim amp makes sense to me based on your description.